As the evaluation method for a defect of a semiconductor wafer or for a foreign matter adhering to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, a method based on a light point defect (LPD) detected by a laser surface-inspection device is widely used (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 5509581, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In this method, light is directed to the surface of a semiconductor wafer to be evaluated, and the radiation light (scattering light and reflection light) from this surface is detected to evaluate the presence or absence and/or size of a defect/foreign matter of the semiconductor wafer.